Some recent favorites...

We're already saving to send our little Belle to Saint Mary'sShe's loving her thumb!

And often is caught sticking her tongue out!

And will sometimes hold the bottle and feed herself!

Lola at the Pumpkin Patch

Last weekend, we headed across the border into Indiana to visit County Line Orchard to pick our pumpkin a pumpkin! It was a beautiful fall day with our baby girl. John & I enjoyed a nice little lunch and then stopped in their country market to pick up some pumpkin donuts, apple cider and kettle corn to take home. Then, we ventured over to the patch to pick out the perfect orange squash!

Mommy thought it might be chilly out...it wasn't! Where all the yummy food was!

Daddy and his pumpkin

Our little family

Yeah, she wasn't too thrilled!

All those pumpkins!

We have a winner!

Big red barn

Waiting while I paid for the pumpkin...

She had fun :)

Parker & Lola's Second Date

(Disclaimer: I am WAY behind on posting new pics of Lola--bear with me! I'm quickly discovering there aren't enough hours in the day to accomplish all I need to!)

Lola and Mommy headed up to Lincoln Square a few weeks ago to visit our good friends Tracy & Parker. We had the best time visiting! We played for a bit and then took a walk to the Square and had a yummy lunch. Tracy then treated me to Coldstone! :) (Thanks again doll, it was so good!) We can't wait to head up again very soon!

Tracy is super good with her fancy new camera and captured some great pictures of our two little cuties together. Here are just a few. You can see more of Parker & Lola by clicking HERE.

Tracy also snapped some good pics from Lola's baptism. You can see that album by clicking HERE. And also, Parker Lee became a Christian this weekend too. He was baptized today in Alexis, IL (Tracy's hometown). The Lord has blessed us with beautiful children, hasn't He?!

Having fun playing on Parker's quilt

How adorable is this picture?!
You can tell what a sweetheart he is by how he's
got his arm wrapped around her!

This is NOT a posed picture--Parker literally grabbed and
held her hand all on his own. A perfect gentleman!

Dear Aunt Ren...

Please come back soon. I miss you already!

Love,
Lola-Bear

Lola becomes a Catholic!

The Lord blessed us with this child. Today, we christened her in His name. Surrounded by family and friends, Lola Rose Hernandez became a member of our Catholic faith today. It was a beautiful day sent from above. She was a perfect angel the entire day. We are the proudest parents! We hope you enjoy just a few of the countless photos captured today.

We had her dress made from my wedding dress. When John and I made the Sacrament of Marriage, we said we'd welcome with love children from God. It's only fitting that she got to wear the same dress today to receive the Sacrament of Baptism--and on the same Altar!

Again--to all our family and friends that celebrated with us today--THANK YOU! Lola is so very blessed to have each and every one of you in her life. You are all examples of the love and goodness we pray she will show to others as she grows.

Deacon John Ficker begins the ceremony
(He married Mommy & Daddy two years ago.)

Our sweet baptism baby...

Clark Richard & Parker Lee receive a special blessing...

God-Mommy Ren holds Lola as she is baptized...

"We baptize you in the name of the Father,
and the Son,
and the Holy Spirit."

Presenting Saint Lola Rose

Our blessed little family...

She needed to eat!

With Godfather Ronnie and God-Mommy Renee

And with Deacon John...

FAMILY!

With Our Blessed Mother

Yummy cake from, you guessed it....CREATIVE CAKES

There's a story behind this...
Mom made this for Lola. It's like a scrapbook thing with
a bunch of little tidbits on it. Nana made one for me on
my christening day. So I guess you could say it's a little
tradition. We're going to hang it in her nursery. Thanks Mom!

The DiTore's come to visit...

The DiTore trio are in town for Lola's Baptism tomorrow, so they came by this afternoon so we could hang out and visit a bit. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day, so it was great that we could spend some quality time together.

We had some munchies and then headed down to the park. We picked up the Nowinski's on our way. We had a great time but had to leave after only a bit because the mosquitos were eating us alive!

Here's just a few of our day together. The entire album can be seen HERE.

Johnny & ClarkPrincess Leia--Thanks Mikey!

Hi Cousin Clark

Clark is gentle with Lola. He'll make a great big bro one day!

Fun at the park!

The boys.

Mommy loves Lola.

Headed home. Yes Rich is pushing a diaper bag!

Sweet baby in her PJs (Thanks Wolf family!)

"Playing" together.

Ok, he's done. Time to go nigh-nigh at the hotel.

The start of a beautiful friendship...

Alissa & Ellyana stopped by on their way home from the library this morning. Lola was wide awake and she was all smiles for A&E. It was so cute to see Lola and Ellyana interact--they both seemed quite fascinated by one another. It really melted my heart because I got a glimpse into their future friendship. No doubt Ellyana is going to be as good of a friend to Lola as her Mommy is to me--she's one lucky girl! Ellyana is probably the most brilliant 1 year old I've ever met, so hopefully, Lola picks up some of her genius! :)